Not only did The OC's Seth Cohen popularise geek culture in the mid '00s, he made Dynasty Warriors look cool. In practice, PS2-era Dynasty Warriors was not cool. Or at least not as cool as it looked on the telly. Perhaps the allure of playing in a beach house in sunny California failed to translate to my perpetually overcast Glasgow.
What does look cool, I reckon, is Dynasty Warriors 9—a so-called open-world "rebirth" of the series, according to producer Akihiro Suzuki. Due on PC two weeks from yesterday, we've so far seen how its combat and scrolls systems work and have heard from five of its main characters.
Now, Koei Tecmo has revealed DW9's opening cinematic which contains a typical amount of army slaughter, flashing lights and electric guitar riffs. Have a gander:
Admittedly, I didn't have a bad boy-turned-best pal to play Dynasty Warriors with in the mid noughties, and was instead left frustrated by its linear level design. With the promise of explorable worlds this time round, though, I quite fancy giving the series another shot. Here's what Koei Tecmo said about that when number nine was confirmed for PC last year:
Whether players choose to follow the main storyline quests or spend time exploring the vast natural wonders of China—from the lush cedar woods and bamboo forests of Chengdu to the legendary Great Wall—the ongoing war will continue to rage along their journey. Skirmishes, clashes, special side missions, and larger scale conflicts can be engaged at the player’s will as they venture through far-reaching lands, allowing for a sense of freedom of choice for the player previously unfelt in previous Dynasty Warriors titles.
Up for that? Dynasty Warriors 9 is due on PC February 13, 2018.
